Basketball Game Preview: Darlington Falcons vs. Lakewood Gators

The Darlington Falcons and the Lakewood Gators will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Darlington's favor as the squad sits on seven straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Lakewood has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.

Last Tuesday, Darlington lost to Lower Richland on the road by a 42-28 margin. The match marked the Falcons' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Meanwhile, Lakewood was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 61-55 to Wilson. While losing is never fun, the Gators can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 103rd, while the Tigers are ranked 32nd).

Darlington will have to contain Carlos Franklin as he made an impact in Lakewood's last game. He made all 7 shots he took from beyond the arc for 21 points. Franklin continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Darius Franklin, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.

Lakewood now has a losing record at 5-6. As for Darlington, their defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 8-3.

Everything came up roses for Darlington against Lakewood in their previous meeting back in February, as the team secured a 73-43 win. In that contest, Darlington amassed a halftime lead of 34-11, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.